The Real Reason Penny Dreadful Was Canceled 

Showtime cancelled Penny... and I cancelled Showtime subscription.

Bad ending or not, it will forever remain as one of my favorite shows of all time. The cast, the music, the over-all mood and setting of the show... I adored every second of it. I have yet to find a series that gives me the same feeling and emotional reactions such as this one. There are so few masterly crafted melancholic series out there :(

i wish netflix would pick this up with the original cast

The ending was disrespectful for the audience of this series.

all my favorite shows get cancelled and the ones i hate keep going, wtf man!

One of the reasons I don't buy that it was supposed to end like this. Is the fact that a few major plot point was set up & never fulfilled. EXAMPLE - Ethan never actually discovered that Brona was brought back to life by Frankenstein. You know that was coming.

This show was amazing. You rarely see stuff as well made as this show anymore.

I literally cried when she died and the show just ENDED. There was so much more they could've done. Don't hate me for saying this I preferred this show over GOT

I'm not buying it was planned to end when it did. Why would you introduce Dr. Jekyll and Catriona and then do nothing with their characters. The ending felt rushed, anti climatic, and unresolved for most of the characters.

That ending was so abrupt I have a hard time believing it was planned from the beginning. It was a terrible ending

There are so many great shows on right now: Game of Thrones, Outlander, etc. BUT I honestly wish that Penny Dreadful had been given more hype! It was so good!! Great plots, actors, and setting. Gunna miss it

That ending was terrible. Vanessa was inspiring; she overcame so much over the course of the show. And at the end, she just gave up. It was insulting and a moronic end to a great character.

The ending was so abrupt and felt totally rushed and like a last minute decision. If Vanessa was so important then why was she featured for like two minutes in the series' finale episode. I do not believe this explanation at all. Why set up Dr. Hyde for an entire season not to reveal Mr. Jekyll. It does not make sense...I will concur it was declining viewership and production cost, but I don't buy this is how it was suppose to end from day one.

The fact that you said "Frankenstein's Monster" and didn't call it "Frankenstein" is the soul purpose I watch this channel. You know your facts.

Penny Dreadful was so great I will miss everything. The dialogues.. The poems.. everything.

I'll miss Ferdinand Lyle the most. I want a spinoff of him in Egypt unearthing the mummy's curse.

I am old and intelligent enough to understand that sometimes, even great things in life will not get enough support to remain constant. We all are... What I find appalling is that going into season 3, there was no way to know that it was ending. If anything, I felt they could flesh it out for at least 2 more seasons. What is even worse is that SHOWTIME thinks fans are foolish enough to believe that this ending was intended; that the fantastic writer John Logan with his cast and his crew, after putting so much time and effort into building some of the greatest, meatiest characters of all time, would just abruptly end it in such a manner. It was the perfect and unique blend of theater arts and film, a true masterpiece in every way. How are we to accept that this was what they had planned? It's hard to watch shows like The Flash, The Arrow, Game of Thrones and even The Walking Dead, after watching something this dense... I just watched the "final" episode, and I have never been more upset about any show... I had to vent by going on a 6 mile run; just to try and get it out of my system. It's truly appalling that the best show in history (that I have watched), with my favorite, Eva Green, and the remarkable performances by every single cast member, should have its legacy stained like this. But I feared this would happen, for as great as this show is, it's for a very small population. This show taught me to live with my demons; to embrace them while keeping them at arms reach...

Eva Green was absolutely incredible in that show. Her acting was spectacular, especially the asylum scenes that were just brutal!! Also how she could go from looking gorgeous to quite disturbing was wild to watch. Loved the whole thing...a unique TV show,well worth watching.

I loved Penny Dreadful with its gothic atmosphere,great visuals and excellent performances. When I learned that is was cancelled I was furious and wished that it at least got a fourth season to wrap everything up and end with a bang.

I'm still upset this show wasn't renewed! This was by far one of my favorite shows, ever!

John Logan is full of shit when he says PD was "intended to go for 3 years exactly." If that was true, he wouldn't have been introducing new characters, like Dr. Jeckyll, whose storylines went nowhere, and he wouldn't have sent Ferdinand Lyle to Egypt. He was clearly thinking ahead to S4 when he was told, in the middle of filming S3, that the show was canceled.

Once Lilly Frankenstein got in touch with her former life as Broda Croft, it would have been interesting for Ethan and Lilly/Broda's paths to cross again. Would she draw on how he held her during her final moments and try to comfort Ethan in his loss of Vanessa. Would a love triangle form between Dr Frankenstein, Ethan Chandler and Lilly/Broda? Would Lilly/Broda join Ethan to track down Dracula and use her superhuman strength to help Ethan with his wolf on to finish Dracula. Would Dorian get his comeuppance when one of the characters destroyed his portrait. I liked all three seasons.

This was one of the best series on tv/cable...or ever. So many were heartbroken when it ended. It was ingenious in its scope..& beyond creative & imaginative. Great actors, great scripts, great locations & story lines. So glad it's on DVD...4 us 2 watch whenever. It's so reminiscent of the old, classic horror films..is why it was so successful...

It was simply one of the deepest and best TV shows ever. Much more philosophical drama than a horror show. Shame it was canceled.

The show was characterised by utterly brilliant seasons leading up to appealingly weak, throwaway finales. It's been one of my top two favourite shows in recent years but I have never been so disappointed in a final episode. It has really soured my view of the whole series to the extent that i doubt I will ever watch it again. Not that Vanessa died, but that she died in such a pathetic, feeble manner which was completely at odds with the previous three seasons. And not to mention the multitude of dead-end storylines it left.

This was such a good show..... NETFLIX!!!! PICK IT UP!!!!!!

I was watching the last episode of seaon 3. Vanessa died..I was like; "WHAT??!! Vanessa cannot die!! What happend? what did I miss??" Then I realised it was the end of the show, Not the season...I was devistated! I'm still working on getting over the dissapointment.

I feel sorry! The best serie ever, for me!

Genuinely one of the best shows out there right now , why does everything i love leave me

Some of the best acting I've seen in quite some time. Damn it was good.

I absolutely loved Penny Dreadful. The acting was fabulous as were the actors. Haven’t seen a show like it since wrapping it up. Please bring it back!

Penny dreadful is an intellectual show...so...

WTF it's cancelled? this was my favorite show! i hope Netflix picks it up

It wasnt marketed properly.

Not buying it. For one thing, Hartnett was quoted as saying he'd been pitched a series that was around 6-7 years, not 3. Second, it's obvious that there was a big chunk of story ripped out of the middle of season 3 (or to put it another way, it was obvious that the ending, whether planned or not, had been hacked off a longer series and stuck to the end of the third season). There were just too many inconsistencies, sudden changes of character, not to mention the unexplained disappearance of whole plot threads. And lastly, there were too many "explanations" coming from Logan for why it ended the way it did, before he settled on "it was always planned" - It was the network, Eva Greene couldn't hack it anymore, Logan couldn't take watching her suffer, the money ran out, etc., etc. Now suddenly it's "haha, it was never going to go longer"? Nope, sorry. Not buying it.

+Looper if you believe John Logan's excuse then you haven't watched the show. He took time in his story telling & character development. Story events happened for a reason & characters did not betray their raison d'etre. The last two episodes were rushed & felt as though they were from a completely different show written by a completely different writing team. Yes, I do believe that the character Vanessa Ives was supposed to die, but this was not supposed to happen until season 4 or possibly 5.

What will you miss most about Penny Dreadful?

Well, damn. At least you GOT a final season. Signed, A bitter "Firefly" fan.

The actress who played Vanessa Ives should've been in Netlix The WITCHER as Yennifer

During our countrys’ lockdown, I had to find something to binge and found ‘Penny Dreadful’ sometime in late March; it’s now early June and I am on my 3rd run through - such an exceptional show, from top to bottom🖤

I will miss everything about it. the sets, the clothes, the amazing job the cast did. it really hit me hard when I saw that "the end" at the season finale, I was/am devasted.

I loved penny dreadful, so different to the usual drivel and cop shows out there, gonna miss it!!

This was such an incredible series - I was literally glued every time it aired ... amazing acting and script ... loved it. Such a shame that it ended ...

I was heartbroken Penny Dreadful ended. There were so many more storylines. And never getting to see the Hyde part of Dr Jekyll was disappointing. Brilliant acting, great scenes and the costumes were top notch!

Okay, except series three felt incredibly rushed and exactly like they had been planning more before being told they had to call it quits, and quickly 'wrapped' everything up. I wouldnt have minded that if the ending had been more satisfying. Obviously Vanessa and Ethan werent going to have their happy ending, but nothing was really resolved. Killing Vanessa didnt tie up all the ends...

And yet Bob's Burgers and Family Guy just keep on...

I cried with Vanessa and Ehtan at the final episode. I did not want it to end. There was so much more to explore. I guess all good things must end

Every actor/actress in this show minor roll or not did an amazing job. Just outstanding acting from all.

I feel the other characters stories are unfinished and Eva Greens performances were amazing. I miss it all!

The ending was still shit. Way too many loose ends, too many things left unsaid and unexplained, literally everyone on that show deserved a better ending. I feel like there was more being set up, but the show got cancelled and they had to rush the ending. Even with Vanessa's death, I think there was plenty of material for at least one more season. If only just to wrap up everyone else's stories. Just because Vanessa died doesn't mean everyone else should cease to exist. I'm mostly pissed about how Ethan never found out what really happened to Brona.

This movie is not about monsters, not about evil, it's about love.

People don't know good TV anymore smh....this was epic, whyyy did it have to end!!

Shame it was a brilliant high quality show. It was amazing! Great cast too !!! I loved every minute of this gothic master piece.

Yes it's a real shame the show ended. There was so much build up & intricate characters & relationships & story lines & then a rush to the end. It was very unsatisfying. After all Vanessa's fighting to give in & then to just end it. It didn't make sense.

penny dreadful was one of the best tv shows on the TV for years brilliant show will be missed

The first horror series in many years that set shivers down my spine, for real.

Everything physical about this show is great, the cast, the visual effects, yet the storyline sucks so much.

Hands down one of the best shows every in many ways. So so so disappointed it got cancelled.

But there is always hope if you look for it....... I'm Fucking Looking at you Netflix!

So heartbroken it's over! It was one of the truly unique and well done shows out there! The acting, writing, filming, everything was perfect. I need more!!! And Ethan and Vanessa deserved to finally be happy together 😭😭😭

Penny Dreadful Season 3 was completely dissapointing...first, worst casting decision ever with Christian Camargo as Dracula and his daylight alter ego, "Dr. Sweet", WTF is that ??? Bram Stoker should sue them !!!...second, Dr. Jekyll but NO Mr. Hyde is totally nonsense...third, most of the action moved to the Far Wild West (Ethan Chandler / Wolfman), the main attractive of this series at least for me, was victorian London, not cowboys !!!...four, not fully explained characters like Catriona, the vampire hunter...five, the only one time shown portrait of baby face - Dorian Gray, such a way to waste a masterpiece gothic character !!!...six, Dr. Victor Frankenstein, another wasted character...something good about Season 3?...Patty Lupone as a female version of Dr. Seward was an interesting and bold movement but of course, not even as spectacular as her performance of witch Joan Clayton in Season 2 !!!...Josh Harnett, Eva Green, Timothy Dalton and Rory Kinear were great as usual as Ethan Chandler, Vanessa Ives, Sir Malcolm Murray and Mr. Clare...I´m deeply sorry that this incredible series with great Season 1 and superb Season 2 have come to a rushed end after an incomprehensible Season 3...

this show had SO much potential it just shouldn't have been a summer show alongside something like Game of Thrones. how can you expect a new show on a different network to compete with a giant like that? even i felt bad that i didn't pay it the attention it deserved because i was busy with GoT. if showtime had given this a fall premiere instead i guarantee it would have prevailed.

I just finished this on Netflix, and regardless of how abrupt the ending of the show was, I feel it was the ending Vanessa deserved. The way this show had built up its demons, there was no way she'd find peace outside of death, and that was pretty clear to me after her possession in the first season. I didn't expect her to die, but it wasn't something I ruled out because her alive is what our antagonists wanted, and it was clear they'd never stop torturing her or her companions until either one of the brothers had her. Additionally, Heaven exists in this universe, and right before Vanessa died, she expressed that she saw God which implies she went to Heaven, right? So she isn't suffering. And Ethan, Victor, and Malcom surely would join her when they died. So regarding their separation, it's not as if they'd never see each other again. I find the ending to be sad, but aside from the final season being so short, I'm not disappointed. Yeah, there were other characters and side plots, but we didn't see enough of Jekyll to be too angry about that, I'm pretty okay with not knowing what happened to Lily, and I found Dorian's final scene to be very poetic. We can imply that Victor, Ethan and Malcom stayed close to each other, and as for John (the Creature), I can see him living a lonely, tired eternity. Or maybe he went back to Victor? Maybe even asked Victor to end his undead existence, finally give his soul some rest. He'd fine Vanessa again! And he wouldn't be alone. *sighs* It's unfortunate that we'll never know about the rest of them, but regarding Vanessa's end, it was the right way to end the show. At least, I believe so, although I am very sad about it.

Eva Green said on camera when being interviewed about Miss Peregrines home for extraordinary children...that she did not want to be typecast... but she loved the script and had "unexpectedly" had some free time in her schedule due to the unexpected end of the series she was working on...Penny Dreadful. They did NOT intend to only make 3 series...and they botched the ending and P*ssed off the fans further, by lying about it.

lack of money and lack of viewers, end of the story

I loved all the characters. It was really sad that it ended.

Loved this show. Sorry to see it go.

So...I'am late..i just started watching this show and Its interesting on so many levels as well as well written..The characters drop gems and are so well sketched out . The writers did a excellent job of overlapping all the various famous monster lore......Dracula ,Frankenstein the wolfman...Dorian Gray and still have a significant amount of time for sexual intrigue. The characters speak with almost a poetic embouchure.

John Logan's full of shit! Season 3 felt really rushed and I doubt he would've wanted the last season to end with all the characters so far away from each other most of the season. My theory is Eva Green' schedule was becoming too hectic which forced the creators to record her scenes separately from the rest of the cast and realizing they couldn't get away with that a second season in a row they decided to end the series.

Season 3 was awful. Such a shame. I LOVED the first two seasons.

The cast of characters were amazingly well portrayed in this series Each story came to life; becoming real for me. I will miss Vanessa Ives and John Clare supporting each other with poetry and true friendship. Every actor in this production gave a sublime performance.

The thing I miss most about this series was how perfectly it developed its characters. Every episode contained very rich backdrops to each of the characters and how they fit in to the labyrinth that was “Penny Dreadful”.

im still heartbroken! fk john logan and showtime! u dont keep Dracula roaming the earth with no cause, introduce dr. jeckyll, catriona, n mr, lyle mention imhotep (the mummy) with intentions of cancelling the show!

I watched Penny Dreadful and enjoyed it, but I'm not sorry it's over. I'd rather have a show end on it's own terms than go on-and-on forever, eventually losing what made it good.

Penny Dreadful was written so well imo and some of the acting was truly mindblowing

I finally got to watch this series. We cannot afford a Showtime subscription so I waited to purchase it on Prime. I love the show and it was do well done with one of the best casts to be found. Eva Green is one of my favorite actors and she proved why yet again. The Monster broke my heart with his tenderness and who wouldn't want someone to love and protect them like Ethan? This was lightning in a bottle and I think it will become appreciated for the quality and artistry as time passes.

Tom Cruise Mummy reboot? Isn't he a little old for that? Or have they finally digitized him so he'll never grow old in films?

people can't just get into the aesthetics of the show, it's bloody brilliant, if it was BBC original series rather than an American premium show, it might have fared better overall

I cried so hard when Vanessa died 💔

This is so friggin sad; penny dreadful was the BEST television show I've ever seen. Seriously drop all these shitty modern shows and bring penny back!!

I really love penny dreadful. They created a different world. I like the story line and what it is about, the whole prophecy of how there was two brothers that fell from heaven, one on the earth and one below and Ms. Ives being the whole key of destruction. (The mother of evil). As in season one they had me on my toes as to what is haunting her, by both brothers and in season two it was the devil and in season 3 Dracula. Season one was like a summary and then the story went more in depth with each season. I also like how the other characters played an important role but was not main characters, which made it very interesting. Seriously this is one of the best series I've ever watched, I started watching it for the third time and still it catches me every time.

Deff in the top 10 best acted television shows of all time. Everyone has been incredible throughout the series.

It’s a shame! I just recently found this gem and binge watched all three seasons in about a week. I was shocked that the end of the 3ʀᴅ season was the series finale. It was wonderfully engrossing and I’m sad that it’s gone!

RARELY do you find such perfection in writing, perfect plot development, actor chemistry, set perfection with just the right amount of Special effects to bring such reality out of fiction-Idiots who worried about money, cut the vine before it had time to grow- I WILL miss this show forever

This was about love, family, friendship, human values, loneliness, bravery, faith, but above all love.

This is just like hannibal all over again! Well at least hannibals ending was more satisfying.

The show was a Masterpiece Period .Yes it could have gone longer but It was the first time in a long time , to see something so well acted . Thank u to all involved.

I thought the ending was anticlimatic, depressing and disgustingly religious. For a series so deeply involved and sympathizing with the occult to have such a good, Christian end makes me vomit. Shame! Shame on you for that wimpy ending!

Doesn't look like any money went into lighting. I couldn't see shit.

It was such a fantastic series. It was quality television that really gripped me as a viewer and changed how I look at tv. I miss it so much. I am reading the comic books now which kind of fill the void in a way. I wish it was back on TV though.

Not every loose end was tied up, but I'm happy it ended well without dragging on. I loved the ultrasharp closeups and that the actors weren't afraid to look awful at times. Brilliant.

This was a very original series! I loved it especially the witch scene. The main actors and all was amazing and very entertaining. Thank you all for your work and artistry.

declining my ass. this show kicked ass. most watched online

That was some of the best acting I've ever seen on a television program. The emotional connections and heartbreak felt between the characters was always palpable; mores than game of thrones, moreso than anything.

So sad good things do not last for ever. That show brought mystery, horror and suspense back to life! The show is a true masterpiece of a brilliant mind who can still connect to a world of art gone a long time ago.

So many things left, I can't believe it was planned because: -What's the point of using Dorian? Never gonna see him going crazily nuts and evil like in the novel and the movie... -Never Mr Hyde? -never seeing the full potential and lore about werewolves, shit I mean they even kinda went the World of Darkness tabletop RPG with that kind of mythology (with werewolves being "agents" of nature/God) -Never seeing Dracula full potential -Introducing nice characters like Vanessa"s psy or the Thanatologist woman (who was fucking badass) and never using them again -Nothing really nice done with Frankenstein Firstborn ect ect

I heard the show was cancelled due to competition with Preacher on AMC which just came on, I knew that didn't make sense because for one, most people including myself don't watch non cable stuff when it's first aired because of commercials. To remove commercials from my life I record the show instead of even watching demand, because even Demand has gotten into this ugly habit of making you watch the commercials, and not allowing you to fast forward, and if you take too long it starts again. This explanation makes more sense, a shame because I had finally started watching this a few months ago, but it's so good I plan to watch it until the end. This show did in 3 seasons what many shows have failed to do in 7 (I'm talking to you True Blood, which should've been cancelled at the end of season 5 as soon as Alan Ball left). I like the trend of cancelling a show if it's come to a conclusion, rather than running it into the ground, or jumping the shark.

For some reason I thing Logan's smarmy comment that the show was only intended for three years is bullshit.

One of the best post Victorian era shows to air on TV; a truly remarkable show with great storylines, great cast and great performances from each character. It was absolute pleasure watching Penny Dreadful in 2020, I know better late than never. Like many people, I am glad I had a glimpse on how old times was back then. Just to give you a heads up the last episode was really poorly scripted and was rushed throughout. It should had been a two hours long show with more fights scenes anyways I will still rate it 9/10 !

One of the best writings of all time. I wish I could just frame the dialogues and hang on my wall. They were poems. Also, amazing act. The episode on hospital, with Vanessa Ives and her caretaker (the alive John Claire) is outstanding.